Folding utility rack



S. S. ROSE ET -AL FOLDING UTILITY RACK Filed Oct. 18 1922 INVENTORS Sana ueL 15' .Rose our-d, Susan L.Sw0pe- QWWTORNEY Patented Feb. 10, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL S. ROSE AND SUSAN L. SWOPE, OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA.

FOLDING UTILITY RACK.

Application filed October 18, 1922.

I! '0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, SAMUEL S. Ross and Susan L. Sworn, citizens of the United States, residing at San Jose, county of Santa Clara, State of California, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Utility Racks; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this application.

This invention relates to improvements in racks or hangers for supporting clothing and the like from the floor or ground, the principal object of our invention being to provide a device of this character which when not in use may be folded up into avery compact space, and hence will be of especially great benefit to camping and similar outing parties who usually have but very crude facilities for hanging their clothing at night or their spare or extra garments, towels, laundered articles and the like, at other times.

l Ve have also arranged that the device may readily rest in a vertical position on even or uneven ground, and which may be substantially supported in such position.

The device, however, as its title suggests, is also suitable for general utility and household use besides that enumerated above.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purposes for which it is designed.

These objects we accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the device, set up for use.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the rack when folded.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section of the arm-supporting head.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detached section of one of the legs.

Figs. 5 and 6 are fragmentary views of a hanger hook and the collar supporting the same, showing the hook in its collar clamping and unclamping positions respectively.

Serial No. 595,246.

Fig. 7 is a top plan of a hook-holding collar, detached.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the numeral 1 denotes a tubular base member or standard, having a collar 2 a certain distance from its lower end, which collar has radial lugs 3 to which are adjustably clamped as by fingernuts 4 the legs 5, of which there are preferably three, making a tripod support. These logs are preferably channel shaped, with the open side innermost, normally concealed therein are pins or pegs 6, held in place by clips 7, but adapted to be removed and inserted through holes 8 in the feet 9 of the legs, so that said legs may be easily held in place on the ground, and prevented from spreading regardless of the weight supported thereby.

By reason of the adjustable clamping of the legs the angle of setting of the latter with regard to the base 1 may be altered at will, and may thus be adjusted, without altering their length, to accommodate themselves to any unevenness of the ground which .is apt to be found on a campsite. The legs may also be moved to lie parallel to the base, when the device is to be folded.

Slidable in the base 1 is a post 10 on the upper end of which is mounted a cap 11 having a number of radially disposed rodholding socket members 12 projecting therefrom. These sockets are; of substantially circular cross-section, their under sides being cut away adjacent the cap as at 13, so as to form an arch, and their upper sides being similarly cut away at the outer ends as at 14, with a circular orifice 15 extending vertically therethrough between the portions 13 and 14. 7

These sockets serve as holders for an equal number of rods 16 in both a horizon tal outstretched position and a vertical po sition parallel to the post. The former position of said rods is maintained by reason of the fact that said rods then rest both against the upper and inner portions of the socket members and against the lower and outer portions thereof, as plainly shown in Figure 3. Longitudinal or outward displacement of the rods when in this position is prevented by flanges 17 on the inner ends of the rods which then seat in grooves 18 in the socket members.

When it is desired to fold these rods or place them alongside the post 10 their outer ends are raised, or swivelled' about the under and outer supporting surfaces of the socket members as an axis.

The rods may then drop through the holes 15, the flanged ends of the rods being lowermost. To prevent the rods from passing entirely through said holes, their outer or upper ends are provided with heads 19. To hold the lower ends of the rod against the post, so as to preventthem' from swinging out a cupped collar 20' is mounted on the standard 1, to receive said rod ends when'the post 10 is lowered in said stand-'" ard.

Slidably mounted on the post 10 is a collar 22 formed of a nuinber'of segments,

each of which has a radial lug 23 at each end, so that ad acent pairs of such lugs are had.

Straddling each such pairof lugs'and pivotally'mounted thereon is the forked end 2% of ahook member 25, adapted "tohan'g downwardly as shown in Fig. 1 so as to support any article it is desired'to hang thereon, such as a coat or hat.

The faces of the forks 24 adjacent said lugs, as well as the corresponding faces of the latter are beveled or tapered as'shown at 26 in Figs. 5 and 6 in such a mannerthat when the hooks are swung downfthe lugs* wlll-be squeezed together and the collar clamped to the post to prevent longitudinal movement, thereon. raised however, this clamping pressure'is released, and the collar may then'be slid up or down the post as may be desired by the user.

This construction also allows the hooks to be moved up out of the way when their use is not desired, as when folding the device for transportation.

In this case, the collar 22 is'slid up just under the cap 11, and the hooks are their raisedbetween'the sockets 12 so that said hooks'will be inverted and lie on top of'th'e cap, as shown in Fi .2.

\Vhen these hooks are tures.

From the foregoing description it will be readilyseen that we have produced such ing standard, cupped collar fixed at the lower end of the standard, a post'slidable within the standard,a plurality of rods hung from the outer end of said post and movable into the cupped collar when the post projected into the standard to then hold such arms rigid against the standard. and means whereby such arms may be proected and held rigidly at right angles to the post-when the latter is extended be youd the standard.

2. A folding rack including a post, a cap thereon, radially disposed socket members projecting from the cap, a plurality of rods "mounted in the sockets, said sockets being provided with an upper supporting sur- "face on their inner ends and with a lower supporting surface at their outer ends, with an intermediate vertical orifice of a size to receive the rod therethrough, a head on one end of the rod to prevent the latter dropping through said orifice when the rod is'in a vertical position, and a flange on the opposite end of the rod adapted to seat in a groove provided in one of the "socket supporting surfaces, whereby the rod is then prevented from longitudinal moveiment in either direction.

In testimony whereof we atlix our signa SUSAN L. SVVOPE. SAMUEL S. ROSE. 

